Teaching Team
Farewell to the Sukkah
Tags: booth, feast of booths, feast of tabernacles, hut, sukkah, sukkot, tabernacle
Yesterday, with a bit of sadness, I disassembled my sukkah (booth) and put it away in storage. The end of Sukkot is always bittersweet. Sweet because the long week of festivities are over and it can get tiring after a while, but bitter because we'll have to wait another year to celebrate it. There is nothing like the serenity of sitting in the sukkah eating a meal, reading a book, visiting with friends, or taking a nap.
From an outside perspective, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. It's a booth, who cares? So what if you have a hut over your head? Can't you read outside on the porch anytime of the year? What makes this time so special?
The main difference is living in God's Torah. The sukkah itself holds no special value. Void of its Torah-basis, it's just some lumber, nails and foliage. It is the God "who sanctifies us with his commandments" that makes it so unique and special. Also knowing that Jews and Gentiles across the globe are celebrating this same feast, and have done so for thousands of years is quite an awe-inspiring thought as well.
My wife and I had the privilege of having many guests in our sukkah this year. Since our sukkah was the closest to the office, we all took our lunch breaks together and went over to our house to eat there. There's something really special about your entire office eating in a sukkah together, something that has probably never happened in Marshfield, MO before!
We want to hear from you. How was your Sukkot this year? What special memories will you take from this year? In what ways has the Father blessed you through his feast?
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There were a couple of Truths that really his home to me this year, for some reason. I had the privilege of hearing a friend of mine speak on the Fatherhood of G-d during the feast of Sukkot and for the first time in my life I realized that though my earthly father did not desire to dwell with my G-d does and this is awesome! Then, I realized that in this flimsy, temporary, earthy dwelling is the security and comfort and provision of G-d when we are in covenant with Him just as the Israelites had the pillar of fire by day and the cloud at night. What better place to stay in the tumult of this world?
There is a picture of our sukkah and some brief thoughts on my blog http://mylight.homeschooljournal.net/2007/10/07/the-feast-of-sukkot/
jennny
jenny | October 8, 2007 4:50 PM
The Sukkah. Ah yes, it was indeed a bitter/sweet time to disassemble our Sukkah. Although we have been keeping Sukkot in one form or another for more than 35 years, this was the first year we observed it on our own property, and the first year we made a Sukkah frame that we can actually keep for next year.
Our little Sukkah (about 8X8 feet) was a special blessing to us for the following reasons:
We had a total of 17 people visit our Sukkah and we were able to introduce at least 12 to the waving of the Lulav.
We also handed out copies of FFOZ's Torah Reading Schedule and encouraged all who attended our eight-day celebration to make a habit of reading the weekly Parashot. (We also mailed out a number of copies of the schedule to people we knew).
During Sukkot (on the last day of the Feast, just before Shemeni Atzaret and Simcha Torah) we went to a near-by spring-fed lake and there three people were immersed into the faith of Yahshua and committed themselves to Torah observance as a life-style of the redeemed. Sukkot is a "harvest" festival and indeed, we had a harvest of souls at this Feast.
Yes, this Sukkot was special to us and we'd like to think pleasing to our Abba Who is in the Heavens. We look forward to raising our little Sukkah next year.
Tom (Mordecai) and JoAnne Mitchell
Kittanning, PA
SD: That's a great testimony, especially about the immersions. Thank you for sharing it.
T. (Mordecai) Mitchell | October 21, 2007 9:27 AM